How long should it take to bush hog an overgrown field?

[Jim Timber]

A buddy of mine asked me about doing a job for him this spring, but I've never run a bush hog and don't currently own one either.

He wants to get it cleaned up enough to plant it to grass for pheasant and grouse. He's not worried about the roots or debris. I'm thinking spray it with gly when the rain is right, wait a couple weeks, then come back through and mow it down. His place is about an hour away, so travel isn't that big of deal for timing.

Figuring I can rent a 6 or 7 footer, how many acres an hour should I be able to clear with 1.5" or less stems?

 

[davesl708]

The time to clear an acre will vary with type of brush/weeds/grass you're clearing. Figure two to three miles per hour mowing speed. Terrain will also be a factor in the time it takes to clear. Dryer is faster.

 

[kevin37b]

Have you checked this area for land mines ?

 

[bfletch7441]

Could you disc the edges and then burn it off?

 

[jeff9366]

Burn it with REAL FIRE?

Why, golly, how low tech, ancient regime and cheap is that?

I LIKE IT.

 

[Jim Timber]

I haven't seen the property yet, but I've seen pics of the over growth. It's former pasture, but may have been planted at one time judging by the surrounding fields.

I'm actually wondering if it wouldn't be faster to just scrape it with the root rake and pile the debris.

 

[nybirdman]

I have done a lot of this for bird hunting(own a preserve);the biggest problem with brush-hogging and bird dogs is the pungi stakes left after BH ing.
Time wise it depends how thick it is,you may do acre/hr.Run with your FEL bucket close to the ground to help find rocks,stumps ect.
I would BH,spray with brush killer and disc.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

When I do this, first of all, NO one calls me unless it's pretty over grown and odd shaped fields, so I'm lucky to get 2 ac's an hour AND I go over it until NOTHING is left standing.

I'm betting you will get 2 to 3 acres, maybe a bit more with a 7' and GOOD going...

SR

 

[LD1]

Way too many variables.

Is the a large open rectangular/square field? Or small and irregular?
If you only have 1 acre to mow your acres per hour are going to be alot less than if you have 20 acres to mow, all else being equal.

What are you mowing? Dense grasses are harder to mow and leave a clean cut than "stemmy" stuff like ragweed/golden rod. I have had to slow to a crawl before for 12" grass, but can cruise through waste high "weeds" at 5-6MPH no problem.

How rough is the field? Often times when mowing the "weeds" mentioned above, my limiting factor of speed is being able to stay on the seat.

With your tractor, even a 7' cutter I dont think power is going to be a concern. So I would think ~4 MPH wouldnt be a terrible average. If conditions are nice and things are smooth, you can certainly go faster ~6-7MPH, but things can get bumpy and dense and may slow you to 2 MPH.

To figure cutting time, the formula most use is mower width x MPH divided by 10. And that accounts for some inefficency like overlap and making turns.

So with a 7' cutter and worst case scenerio of ~2MPH....about 1.4 acres/hr
Best case @ 6mph......4.2 acres per hour

And could be anything in between

 

[Jim Timber]

Burn it with REAL FIRE?

Why, golly, how low tech and cheap is that?

I LIKE IT.

It wouldn't burn clean unless left to dry for a year. The stems are too thick.

 

[LD1]

If thats a pic of the lot, I'd error closer to the side of 1.4-2 acres per hour.

I dont see many of the easy cutting weeds and all. Looks like saplings + grass. Thats a slow cutting job.

Grasses really cut alot better with sharp blades, but the saplings you want BLUNT blades for to splinter them and not puncture a tire.

Thats a worst-case bad combination IMO.

 

[Jim Timber]

Way too many variables.

Is the a large open rectangular/square field? Or small and irregular?
If you only have 1 acre to mow your acres per hour are going to be alot less than if you have 20 acres to mow, all else being equal.

Without having the GIS overlay, I'm not positive what all is his for scale. He's got 80 acres, but the area that's in need of clearing is a 300' or so swath along one side. I asked him how big it was and he doesn't seem to understand the concept of acreage when describing a cover type. He does sheet rock and trains bird dogs. He's not a farmer.

The plan is for me to go out there with him when the snow's gone. I'm going to have some down time after the ground thaws anyway, so we can scout it out and see what a good game plan is. I already told him that we should figure out a day rate, then go for a couple days and reassess the situation, and he likes that approach. Now I'm wondering what's a reasonable expectation of speed and you guys are giving me that data, much appreciated!

 

[Jim Timber]

If thats a pic of the lot, I'd error closer to the side of 1.4-2 acres per hour.

I dont see many of the easy cutting weeds and all. Looks like saplings + grass. Thats a slow cutting job.

Grasses really cut alot better with sharp blades, but the saplings you want BLUNT blades for to splinter them and not puncture a tire.

Thats a worst-case bad combination IMO.

That's why I'm leaning more towards scraping it off ahead of the cutter - if using a bush hog at all.

I can drive through that crap full speed with the grapple down and it'll be bare dirt or close to it on the back side.

 

[Jim Timber]

Another option is to try to shear it off with the bucket while the ground is still hard. Without knowing what the rock content is, that could end badly too.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I wouldn't want to drive MY tractor through thick brush/grass with the bucket down! All it takes is one good hit, and you WILL have a repair bill! That's one of the dumbest idea's I've heard in a long time... lol

SR

 

[Jim Timber]

I don't see how it's any different than what I've already been doing with it. I've scraped off 1/2 acre of under brush without any issue.

 

[jeff9366]

I wouldn't want to drive MY tractor through thick brush/grass with the bucket down! All it takes is one good hit, and you WILL have a repair bill!

I half ruined a previously good shoulder this way. I needed six weeks of physical therapy to return the shoulder to 80% of what it was. Now, three years later, I have the beginning of arthritis in the shoulder. The tractor and Bush Hog survived the hidden stump encounter without damage.

PRESERVE YOUR HEALTH.

 

[SPYDERLK]

That's why I'm leaning more towards scraping it off ahead of the cutter - if using a bush hog at all.

I can drive through that crap full speed with the grapple down and it'll be bare dirt or close to it on the back side.

... A full speed of what? How much distance before stopping to shed debris?

 

[Grandad4]

Every time I have gone out to mow some new property it's not the live growing cover that determines the mowing speed, it's all the unseen holes, rocks, stumps, bed frames, engine blocks, barbed wire or other assorted things that can tear up the equipment. Heading out into an an unfamiliar field at 7 mph is the tractoring equivalent of the Titanic's first and last voyage! Check out your non-farmer's field well before you start!

 

[Jim Timber]

Full speed for brush grubbing usually means second gear to me.